Gates on Mid-East talks

The American Secretary of Defence, Robert Gates, is in Israel as part of a concerted diplomatic effort by the United States to revive stalled Middle East peace talks.

Earlier, US envoy George Mitchell met Egypt's Hosni Mubarak for talks. He will meet the Palestinian president later.

After a meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak Mr Gates reiterated the importance of making progress towards the two-state solution.